Many survivors of childhood cancer go on to develop chronic illnesses later in life, according to a new study from researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.
Researchers examined 1,713 childhood cancer survivors. Each of the patients had been diagnosed as a child with childhood leukemia, lymphoma and tumors of the brain, bone and other organs. They were all tested for blood pressure, blood glucose levels, resting heart rate, heart electrical activity and thyroid function.
The researchers found that by the age of 45, about 95 percent of the group had develop various forms of chronic illness including hearing loss, heart valve abnormalities, lung problems, memory problems or new cancers. This statistic comes in contrast to those with healthy childhoods, about 38 percent of whom develop similar conditions by the age of 45.
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